Heart-shaped Band-aid
by randomgirlfandomlife
Summary: Tiva&Tali. Set after 13x24, in canon with 17x10. Tony travels to Cairo in search of Ziva with his daughter, Tali.


He knew she was still alive. He just knew. The same way he had known she was still alive in Somalia. The same way he had known how to find her in Israel all those years ago.

So, he took Tali – he took his daughter to Israel, to Be`er Sheva and Tel Aviv and to all the places he needed to get the truth; to get closure. Because he wouldn't be able to mourn until he knew for sure. And that's how Tony DiNozzo ended up in Cairo, Egypt.

It had been almost half a year since Tony had left NCIS; given up the badge. He knew the past six months had been difficult for Tali; they had been difficult for him, and the travelling wasn't helping matters either. But now they were finally starting to fall into a routine. Tony had learned a lot in the past six months about being a father. He began learning Hebrew again too. At first this only brought up painful reminders of the past but after some time and with Tali's help they changed into memories that would only act as further motivation to find Ziva. He was slowly learning all of Tali's ways too. And she was learning his. She came to trust and love and need her Aba just like Ziva had wanted for her since the day she was born.

It hadn't taken Tony long to decide on his first destination. It took him even less time to book the flights and pack what they needed. He didn't want to wait. He couldn't bare to sit around waiting. What was there to wait for? He needed his answers. Now.

They had travelled back to Be'er Sheva where Tony had last seen Ziva and where Tali had been conceived. From there they headed to Tel Aviv, Israel where Tony got to speak to the Director of Mossad, Orli Elbaz again. She had filled him in on all the things she hadn't had time to the last time they had met. They spoke about the past, and Tali, and when Ziva had found out she was pregnant. They talked for quite some time and Tony silently thanked the universe for giving him this chance. If Ziva had never sought to make amends with Orli when she did, Tony may not have had anyone else to tell him all these wonderful things about Tali's and Ziva's life.

Now Tony stood with Tali's hand firmly enclosed in his, on the streets of Khan el-Khalili, where they had stopped after the 50-minute car ride from Cairo International Airport. With Tali becoming fidgety and restless – which Tony now understood to be signs of tiredness – he was looking for any sign of somewhere to stop and rest for a few hours. According to his information he could come away from his task at least until they had had a proper chance at rest. He would find Ziva. But for now, he needed to take care of his daughter.

After they had found a place to rest and had something to eat, Tony spent some time just playing with Tali; some make-believe game she loved to play with Kelev. Above everything else he had come to love, watching her face light up with that adorable smile was his most favourite thing. He would do anything to make her happy just so he could keep seeing the joy in her eyes and the dimples in her cheeks.

He gave it another hour before they set out again – giving enough time for it to cool down outside so the heat from the sun wouldn't be so harsh on Tali's delicate skin. For some time, they passed from one street vendor to another, enjoying the time spent together, poring over all the pretty beaded jewellery on one stall and breathing in the brilliant aromas at another.

As Tony was paying for one of the beaded necklaces Tali had picked out and practically begged for, he felt a tug at the hand Tali's was tightly grasping.

"Hold on, baby," he said softly to Tali with his eyes still trained on the coins he was trying to count in his free hand.

"Aba, Aba!"

"Tali, hold on a second while I give this man some money and I'll help you out with that pretty necklace you got there, okay?"

Her tugging only grew more impatient and with a defeated sigh Tony dropped all of the change in his hand into the vendors and bent down to take Tali up into his arms. He stroked her curly brown hair out of her eyes and ran a finger over her cheek before reaching for the necklace Tali had clutched in her tiny fingers. As soon as she let go of the beads however, Tali immediately raised her hand and pointed a finger towards a crowd gathered at the other end of the street. Tony looked up wondering what could have caught Tali's attention and followed her intent gaze just in time to see a woman wearing a red head scarf turn away from them and disappear into the crowd. Just as he was ready to dismiss this as one of Tali's games, she urged him forward, and something in the impatient way she did this made Tony do so.

They followed the woman through the crowd away from the market place they had just been walking through and towards a warehouse like building at the far end of a narrow street. With Tali still tucked safely in her father's arms, he slipped into the building after the woman, making sure to go as quietly as possible. Once inside he took note of the wide space in front of him, practically empty besides a few wooden crates stacked in the corner, exactly like he would have back on a case at NCIS. At the back of the room, Tony glimpses a doorway leading down a set of steps that reminds him a little bit of Gibbs' basement. Cautiously he moves down the steps into the darkened room below. Tali must have sensed she should stay quiet as she didn't chatter like she tended to when no one else spoke. Again, Tony thanked the universe – he had no idea what danger could be lying in wait for him and just having Tali with him made him vulnerable, even with a weapon. Right as he does so however, Tali starts to struggle in his arms and he tries his best to quiet her and keep her calm.

"Tali, please, just be quiet for Aba for a second, okay?"

He tried keeping his voice to a whisper but the small room only amplified his words as Tony tried to see in the dimly lit basement. Before he has time to worry about this however, he sees movement near the far end of the basement and instinctively pulls Tali closer to him. He starts to say something in warning but then recognises the outline of the woman they had both been following and falls quiet. Instead it's Tali who speaks before Tony has the chance to shush her.

"Ima!"

At this the woman steps out from behind the wooden pillar she had been hiding behind, and comes fully into the light where Tony is shocked to see Ziva standing there. In that moment Tali manages to struggle free from Tony's arms and fling herself into her Ima's. Ziva immediately drops to her knees and embraces Tali, tears already spilling down her dirt covered cheeks.

Still in shock, Tony watches all of this unfold from his position at the bottom of the stairs from which he hasn't moved. He tries searching for something to say, but his mind stays blank; all the words he had wanted to say for so long lay dead on his tongue.

It was Ziva who spoke next, with her head still bent over Tali's, her voice rough and broken.

"Oh, I've missed you, my sweet Tali." She daren't look up yet. She was scared of what she would see on Tony's face and she was still struggling to control the anxiety attack that was threatening to take a hold of her.

"Zi-Ziva?"

When Tony finally found his voice, it came out as a whisper - he wasn't even sure she heard him - but she answered, her voice as unsure as his was.

"Tony." She looked up at him, the first time since they had met, her eyes watery and her cheeks tear stained. He noticed then just how tired she looked and the pain in her eyes told a million stories of all she had been through recently. He took stock of the cuts and bruises that framed her face and the dirt that caked it. He realised her shaking hands and the way she seemed to be trying to keep her breathing even. And he couldn't help thinking how she was still as beautiful as the day he had left her behind in Israel, almost two years ago. All of this hit him in a matter of seconds and it left him at a loss for words.

"Ima?" Tali broke the silence that had ensued, her tiny voice fragile and watery.

Ziva, fatigued with fighting the anxiety attack and the sudden unexpected reunion, simply placed a shaking hand on her daughter's cheek and managed a small smile of reassurance.

"You're-, how-, I mean-", Tony stumbled over the words. No matter how sure he had been that she had been alive all this time and that he would find her, there had still be an inch of doubt that she really could be dead. It was still a surprise to see Ziva there, stood right in front of him. He had longed for this moment for years; dreamt about it even. But this was so unexpected. He had thought she was still days – maybe even weeks – away.

Ziva gave him time to think, to reconsider his words. She understood how hard this must be on him. It was hard on all of them but for very different reasons. If she had had the choice, she would have walked away from all of this at the start and stayed with her daughter. She had to do this though. For her freedom; her family.

"You're really here," he managed, still sounding stunned. Ziva sensed she wasn't going to get anything more out of him just yet and noted that Tali was slowly falling to sleep on her shoulder.

"Come. We should go somewhere safer."

"I'm...guessing you have somewhere in mind?"

"I know a place not far from here. You and Tali can stay for the night," she said, for the first time sounding shy. "If you want to, that is," she added.

"Hmm? Yeah, okay."

Once back in Ziva's hideout, Tony laid Tali down on the sofa to sleep. After tucking her in with a blanket that had been draped over the back and placing a kiss gently on her forehead, he moved to stand with Ziva in the corner of the room he assumed was the kitchen.

"She looks peaceful," Ziva noted.

"Hmm."

Sensing some tension still between them, Ziva made an attempt to clear the air. This was not how she wanted things to be between them. On their way to her place, she had filled him on all she could without telling him anything that could possibly bring them any harm.

"Look, Tony, I..." she trailed off, not sure where she wanted to take this conversation.

"What would have happened if none of this had happened? If they had never come after you? Would Tali have grown up without ever meeting her father? Would you have just never told me about her? Why did you never get in touch?"

She realised he was angry. She didn't blame him.

"Tony, I -" she breathed out. "I knew if I had told you about Tali you would come to be with me and I- I thought-"

"You should have called," he cut her off.

"And you should not have come," her own anger started to rise – maybe she didn't deserve to feel that way but nevertheless, he had no idea how much torture she had put herself through for not calling him. "You could have put yourself in danger. You could have put Tali in danger. Hell, you might still be in danger!"

Knowing Ziva, Tony could tell he wouldn't get anywhere by continuing to argue with her. And he didn't want to argue with her. After all this time the woman he loved with everything he had was finally here in front of him. Stepping closer, he reached out a hand, gently taking hers. She resisted slightly, at first. She was unused to being touched after all the time she had spent alone. It unnerved her now and she recognised her heart start to flutter, the beats starting to rise and pound heavier inside her chest. She tried focusing on the man stood in front of her, forgetting her anger, to try and steady her blurring vision. She remembered the last time they had been this close; the way his lips had felt on hers, soft and gentle. She stepped closer and remembered the hazel eyes she had gazed into as she told him she loved him, too late. With her legs still numb and shaking, she steadied herself with a hand on his chest, above his heart. She focused on forcing her breath to match Tony's, slowed her heart to beat with his.

Tony closed the gap between them, bringing his hand up to her hair, looping his other arm around her back, holding her close. She immediately rested her head against his chest, allowed herself to relax in his arms. Even with her heart still pounding and her mind buzzing, after so much time feeling afraid, it was exhilarating to finally feel safe.

Tony awoke the next day, Ziva wrapped in his arms, her hair spread wildly around her. He stretched carefully, not wanting to wake Ziva and realised Tali at the end of the bed, clutching Kelev to her tiny body. He wished he could stay like this forever, wrapped in the joy his family brought him but he knew their remaining hours together were numbered. He had wanted to stay with Ziva but she had insisted it would be safer for them to stay away and though he didn't want to leave her again, he also didn't want to put his little girl in any unnecessary danger.

Right as he was about to close his eyes again, Ziva stirred and opened hers.

"Morning," he whispered softly. She responded only by placing a kiss lightly on his lips; a smile blooming there.

"Careful," he warned, as she started to move, "Tali," he added, pointing towards the end of the bed they had shared last night.

Slowly, she worked herself away from Tony and moved down the bed to where Tali slept peacefully. Then, making sure not to wake her, lifted her up to her shoulder and repositioned herself back at the top of the bed. Tali stirred slightly but quickly fell straight back to sleep in her Ima's arms. All three snuggled there for some time, breathing in each other's scent, listening to the distant sounds from the streets outside.

After breakfast, they decided to take a walk. Refusing to sit in her push chair, Tali walked in between her parents, holding both their hands. This was the kind of thing Tony had been dreaming about for so long; just the three of them, enjoying a walk through the park on a sunny morning. He made sure to take in every moment, refused to forget it. He pushed away thoughts of the approaching flight they soon had to take. Away from Ziva, again.

When Tali notices a duck pond up ahead, she tugs at her parents' hands, asking for permission to run ahead with the puppy dog look on her face. Tony drops her hand and, although reluctantly, Ziva does too.

"Careful!" she shouts as Tali skips away.

"I wish we could just skip everything in between and go straight back to this," Tony says, a smile dropping away to the reality of the situation before them. Ziva pauses momentarily.

"Look, Tony, I – I'm sorry for not getting in touch, for not telling you about Tali. I... have no excuse. I guess I was – just afraid of how you might react..."

"Ziva. I'm not saying I completely forgive you just yet because of all the moments I missed with Tali. With you. But I can let it slide if you just promise me that as soon as all of this is over, you'll come back to us?"

"I will."

"Okay, good." A small smile spreads on Tony's face as he leans forward to touch his lips to Ziva's.

"When is the flight?" she asks, pulling away, Tony's smile reflected on her face.

Just at that moment, a sharp cry sounded from up ahead which both Tony and Ziva instantly recognised as Tali. Instinct had Tony rushing towards where Tali lay on the hard ground, holding on tenderly to her wounded knee. He scooped her up, trying his best to calm her down and distract her from the pain of the scrape she had acquired. When Ziva reached them, she was out of breath and looked unsteady on her feet. Tony considered her for a moment, unsure whether he should say anything before declaring that they should get the cut cleaned up. Ziva merely nodded and Tony walked the short way back to a nearby bench with Tali on his hip.

"Now let's take a look at this, huh, Tali? You're a very brave girl. Just like your Ima," he said, placing her down on the bench.

By now, she had almost completely stopped crying and it comforted Ziva somewhat to know that she hadn't been seriously hurt. Her mind had a way of tricking her and as soon as she heard her daughters cry it immediately went to the worst-case scenario and she had been unable to move. She froze when all of her had so desperately needed to be next to her little girl.

"I think this needs a band-aid," Tony announced, "Have we got one in her bag?"

"It's no use, she won't wear it, she hates band-aids." While she knew she was right, she handed the small plaster to Tony anyway; let him prove her right when Tali refused to put it on.

"Pass me the scissors in there too."

Confused at his request, Ziva hesitated before passing the pair of nail scissors to him too and proceeded to watch as he set about cutting the band-aid into the shape of a heart. She realised then that he must have done this before and when he moved to cover the scrape on her knee with it, Tali didn't complain. Once this was done, he kissed her forehead and picked her up again, high over his head, eliciting a laugh from the little girl now full of smiles. Ziva watched the scene before her, smiling herself. _She'll be safe with him_, she thought, _he will take care of her_.

Back in the hideout, Ziva stood in the kitchen, making some food up for Tali and Tony while he packed their things up and prepared Tali for another long flight back to D.C. D.C first, then Paris. He was dreading the journey ahead just as much as he hated having to tell the team back at NCIS that Ziva was dead. He wasn't keen on lying to Gibbs and McGee and the rest of them but it was Ziva's safety at stake and he would do all he could to ensure she'd come back alive after this was all over.

They ate quietly, Tony doing funny impressions to encourage Tali to eat her food every now and then. Despite how painful it was for Ziva knowing their time together was soon coming to an end, she was grateful she got to experience this at least once. And at the end of it, it only gave her a better incentive to take down the enemy as quickly as possible.

No more than two hours later, they were at the airport, Tony and Tali ready to board the plane. Tali had realised something was wrong and had already cried twice on their way there.

"I can't believe I'm doing this again."

"Tony..."

"I know. We have to. I understand."

"I'll miss you" she says focusing her tear-filled eyes on Tali, "both" she adds looking up at Tony.

"Ziva, I -" he struggles, chokes on his words. He pulls her to himself, Tali between them. Her hand reaches around his neck, pulling him even closer. She kisses his cheek, tears already starting to soak his shirt.

"Ani ohev otach, Ziva," he whispers into her ear.

"I love you, Tony," she whispers back.

Hesitantly, she pulls back, wipes the tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. She places another kiss on Tali's forehead. She wondered how long it would be before she got to see her little girl again. She hoped it would soon, however, she knew it would be longer than she liked.

Without taking her eyes off of her daughter and off of the man she loved so dearly, she stepped back, letting them go once more.


End file.
